The Outcast Demigod Support Group
by fabulouslaughter
Summary: His promise fulfilled, Nico has run away again. He expects the usual - solitude and depression. What he doesn't expect is to stumble upon a quirky group of outcast demigods, each with problems that rival his own. Nico must learn to accept himself, and to trust others, if he hopes to protect his new friends - and the world - from Gaia's destruction. Set post-HOH.
1. Running Away

**So I read HOH last week and it was super fabulous. *spoiler alert* One of the parts that really stood out to me was the whole Nico gay scene. And I've been wanting to write fanfiction about it, so here this is. It's randomish, but if you are taking the time to read this thanks and I hope you enjoy. I case you didn't catch it in the summary, it is rated T and will have multiple chapters. Also, it isn't focused on a particular pairing, but canon pairing will be together. It's mostly Nico centric, but all the seven will make an appearance at some point. Guess that's all I have to say... Leaving a review would be very very much appreciated :)**

**Also, a gazillion thanks to stormfire76 for proof reading. Not only is she a fabulous proofreader, but she also happens to be the best fanfiction author I have ever read. If you like this at all, you should go check out her stories. Even if you don't like this, you should go read her stories. If you can read the English language, then you should go read her stories. I think you get the point.**

**Whoops, one last note. Fanfiction has decided to be totally weird with its spacing and not let me fix it. So I apologize, if the spacing looks weird that is why.**

* * *

Nico hadn't been kidding when he told Jason he was leaving. Forever. He was an outcast; he didn't belong anywhere he went. Maybe Jason was right, maybe he should let someone in. But a part of him just couldn't. A part of him just wanted to keep running, away from Percy and the others, away from anyone who knew the truth about him. After what happened in Croatia, he didn't think he ever wanted to see any of them again. The embarrassment and shame weighed on him everyday. There was no way he could ever tell anyone.

Which was why he had to leave. He had done as he promised of course, shadow traveled all the way back to camp with Reyna and Hedge and the statue. Hopefully it would be enough to stop the war. If anyone could handle it, Reyna, almighty praetor of Rome, could. She certainly didn't need unstable outcast Nico Di Angelo to help her. As soon as he had deposited Hedge, Reyna, and the statue at their destination, he had slipped away in the confusion. Shadow traveled before anyone could notice his absence. They were probably wondering where he was, but they would get over it. He was never around anyway. After his first shadow travel away, he had immediately passed out. He wasn't sure how long it had been before he woke up in the corner of some alleyway. It was late when he woke up, but he was hungry and still had a bit of mortal money shoved in his jacket pocket. He found an all night diner not far off from where he was, grabbed a bite to eat, then gone back to the alleyway to sleep. When he woke up the second time, it was early morning, as far as he could gather from the sunlight. He quickly decided he was too close to Camp Half-Blood and shadow traveled on.

He wasn't sure how he ended up in Las Vegas, Nevada. Probably because he and Bianca had been there once. He always tended to end up places that reminded him of Bianca. He guessed it helped him think when he felt close to her. And that's what he needed to do, think and be alone. That's what he was doing when the hellhounds attacked, walking and thinking alone on some practically empty street somewhere outside of Las Vegas.

The snarl came out of nowhere. He stopped in his tracks, his sword appearing ready by his side. He quickly surveyed the area around him, trying to locate the source of danger. He didn't have to wait long. The large black monster jumped out from between a couple buildings, teeth bared and ready to attack. Fortunately, Nico was ready to attack too. He charged the beast, sword ready to jam into its neck. But before his sword could make contact, the hellhound dodged out of the way, kicking Nico into a wall with his hind legs. Nico picked himself up quickly. Before he could charge again, an unknown force slammed into him from behind, and a second hellhound, appearing from nowhere, pinned the son of Hades to the ground. His sword had been thrown out of his reach at some point, and the monster's claws dug into his arm painfully. Nico groaned, his thoughts muddled from his head slamming into the pavement. He never got a chance to think of a plan, because a dark figure dropped onto the hellhound, sinking a dagger into its neck. The monster exploded into golden dust, and Nico rolled to the side, picking up his sword. The figure, who Nico could now see at least resembled a tall and muscular human, ran at the second beast, a Celestial bronze dagger in each hand. The second hellhound had been turned to dust before Nico could even reach it. The figure turned towards Nico, and he could now see it was a boy, most likely a demigod.

The threat of monsters gone, Nico immediately turned his sword on the tall boy. "Who are you?"

The boy raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you dude. I mean, I just saved your life."

Nico didn't let his guard down. "I could've handled myself. Are you a demigod? What camp are you from, and why aren't you there?"  
"My name is David Lauden, son of Nemesis. And I don't really belong to either camp. I'm what you would call an outcast."  
Nico felt his grip on his sword loosen a bit. "An outcast?"  
"Yup," David responded easily. "Don't really belong nowhere."  
"And why should I trust you?" Nico asked carefully.  
David only shrugged. "Well, I don't really expect you to trust me. Most people take some time to warm up to us."  
"Us?" Nico suddenly felt his grip on his sword tightening. He moved the blade closer to David and glanced to the side anxiously.  
"Woah, don't worry dude." David seemed as relaxed as ever. "Us as in my friends. They're not here with me, I promise. No one is waiting to ambush you. And most of them couldn't hurt you if they wanted to."  
"How many? Where are they?" Nico didn't trust this guy enough to feel reassured.  
"Six. Including myself. Back at our base, an abandoned hotel a few blocks from here," David answered without hesitation.  
Nico stared the older boy down for a second. David may have been bigger, but Nico had a rather intimidating air to him. Finally, he took a few steps back, lowering his sword to led it rest against his leg. "Fine then, David. Thank you for helping me. Now go away."  
"Dude," David said gently, "you gotta pretty bad cut on your arm there. Look, why don't you come back with me to base and we can fix it up for you? And then we can get some food in you and you can use a bed for the night, because you look tired and hungry as hell."  
Nico was aware of the ever present rumbling in his stomach and bags under his eyes, but that didn't change anything. He ran away to get _away _from people. "Thanks, but I don't do well with people. I'd rather take care of myself."  
"Look, man," David said carefully, "I don't know what your running from, but my friends? They're all outcasts too. And whatever you did, I guarantee you they've done something just as bad."  
"I'm not running from anyone!" Nico practically yelled, painful memories of the Argo II assaulting him. He didn't want to go back, have to face Percy, have to face Jason and what happened and Croatia.  
"Okay, okay." David tried to calm him down. "Look, no questions, no judgement. Just food, medicine and sleep. You don't have to say anything."

Nico started at the open innocent look in David's eyes. His gut told him that this guy was sincere, but at the same time his instinct was to run away.

Finally, the growling in his stomach forced him to make a decision. "Fine. No questions, and I leave when I want to. And if any of your friends threaten me..." Nico let his threat hang in the air, and David nodded solemnly.

"Not a problem, dude. Are you gonna at least tell me your name?"  
Nico hesitated, but at this point he didn't think his name was going to do much harm. "Nico. Nico Di Angelo."  
"Well Nico Di Angelo, follow me."

* * *

David's "base" wasn't far off. David talked the whole few blocks there, and as promised, didn't ask any questions of Nico.  
"The whole place is kind of a ghost town really. Pretty much every building down here is abandoned or boarded up or for sale. Our hotel was for sale at one point, but I don't think anyone really cares anymore. No one has been by in years. Think the street must've been cursed or something, but nothing's ever bothered us. Most of the furniture was gone when I got there a few years back, but the kitchens and bathrooms were still mostly intact. And there were some boxed up mattresses and other furniture down in the basement that we pulled up, pretty nice really. Patrick got some of the electricity going. Son of Vulcan, that kid, always tinkering. Don't quite get how he did it, but the lights we need go on, and the kitchen works enough, so I'm not going to question it."  
Nico walked along silently the whole time, half listening. He was at least glad not to have to talk, even if it meant having to hear David drone on. He was too busy arguing with himself about his decision to follow the random demigod down deserted streets.  
_Jason told you to take a leap of faith.  
He meant trust_ him, _not every random person you meet.  
You need to eat and sleep or you'll die!  
You can't die if you've already been killed by a psycho demigod and his friends.  
_His inner turmoil was interrupted by David announcing, "We're here!"  
_I really_ am _crazy_, Nico thought, _arguing with myself. _But he brushed the thought aside. Now wasn't the time to examine his own fragile mental health. He needed to stay alert.  
David led him around the back of the abandoned hotel. The whole street looked like a ghost town, just as David had said. The hotel itself wasn't the best looking, only a few floors high and none of the outdoor lights working. It looked like no one had touched it in years.  
"Come on, " David told him, "entrance is here." He led Nico to the metal door between the dumpsters, marked as "employees only." David turned the handle and the door opened without protest. "Leads straight to the kitchen." David told him, "Makes sense, because that's where the garbage would come from." The door opened into a dark hallway, which David stepped into, beckoning for Nico to follow. Nico hesitated. It could easily be a trap, and his battle instincts told him he should turn around now. But David had already saved his life, and honestly, Nico was done with his instincts. It's not like they had gotten him far in life anyway. Nico followed David down the hallway, which was short and opened into a kitchen, just as David had said. It looked like an average hotel kitchen, with rows of metal countertops and appliances, along with some empty spaces where Nico assumed furniture used to be.

A short girl with curly brown hair was already in the kitchen, hunched over a boiling pot on the stove. She spoke up as soon as she heard their footsteps entering. "David, you're back! Did you bring food? Libby is cranky as heck and craving pasta. I thought symptoms were supposed to lessen in the third trimester, but she's still going strong…" The girl abruptly trailed off when she turned around and noticed Nico. "Oh! We have a guest."

David nodded. "This is Nico Di Angelo. Saved him from some hellhounds a few blocks away and brought him here for food and rest. And to get his arm fixed up; he's got a nasty scratch."  
The girl's eyes dropped to the bloody gash on his arm. "Ouch! Poor baby! Don't worry; Bea can fix that up for you, no problem at all. Hi, Nico, my name is Cassie." The girl stuck a hand out for him to shake.  
Nico was already beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed and claustrophobic. He debated bolting now, but he couldn't resist the sight of the warm steam rising from the stove. He reluctantly shook the girl's hand.  
"Nico doesn't like to talk much," David told her. "Except when he's got his sword pointed at you."  
Cassie nodded as if she understood. "Why don't I call everyone, then? I'm sure they'll all want to meet Nico." Cassie cupped her hands around her mouth. "Meeting! We have a guest! Get your butts down here!" There was a series of grumbles in response. Cassie turned towards Nico again. "Come on into the dining room, Nico. Everyone's nice, I promise. Well, they're all nice at heart at least."  
Nico followed Cassie and David into the next room. It looked like it was once a private dining room. The chandelier was lit up, and a large wooden table sat in the middle, with a mismatch of chairs surrounding it. At one end sat another girl who was playing cards with the blonde boy next to her. A red headed girl, who had just entered from one of the doorways, took a seat at the table. A tall blonde followed her, drop dead gorgeous except for a giant baby bump. "Did you buy me clothes, David?" the blond asked as she sat. "I swear nothing fits anymore."  
David shook his head as he sat at the head of the table. Nico took the empty seat next to David, and Cassie pulled up a chair in between Nico and the red head. "I was too busy saving Nico over here."  
The blond groaned. "Thanks a lot, squirt. Did you at least buy food?"  
"I'll go tomorrow," David told her.  
"I'll take that as a no," the blonde huffed.  
"Everyone," spoke up Cassie, "this is Nico. David found him wandering around by himself. He's going to stay here for the night. Let's all go around and introduce ourselves, hmm?"  
"Introduce ourselves?" questioned the blonde. "Should we tell him all our problems to him, then? Like some twisted support group?"  
"Say whatever you want, Libby," Cassie said patiently. "Nico, my name is Cassie. I would tell you my age and godly parent, but honestly I don't know. I woke by a statue of the prophet Cassandra about a year ago, with no memory of anything; I took my name from the statue, because I really don't even know that. I was by myself and confused as heck when a monster attacked me, and David saved me. He assumed I was a demigod since a monster attacked me, and, you know, I could actually see the monster. He offered to point me towards one of the camps, but I didn't know anything about them or demigods or myself, so I stuck with David. I like to say I'm 16, because I am probably somewhere around there." She turned to Nico, "You want to introduce yourself?"  
Nico shook his head, and David spoke up. "My name is David Lauden, my mother is Nemesis and I am 17 years old." He stopped then, indicating he wasn't going to say any more.  
The blonde spoke up next. "My name is Libby and I'm an alcoholic."  
"Libby." David groaned.  
"Kidding, squirt, feel like I'm at an AA meeting here. Lets all be kind and share, shall we? Welcome to the outcast demigod support group," Libby said sarcastically.  
"Libby," David sighed again.  
"Fine, fine. My name is Libby, I am 17 years old, and I am a child of Aphrodite. I am not currently at camp because some little demon decided he was going to use my stomach as a breeding ground. So I hightailed it out of there before anyone could find out. And me and lil monster over here holed up with these freaks."  
"Now, Libby, " said Cassie, "don't you talk that way about Cassie Jr."  
"No, it's a boy," spoke up the redhead.  
"Shut up!" Libby yelled at them. "I don't care what gender it is, and Cassie, you can name it whatever you want when it finally pops out because it is all yours and I want nothing to do with it."  
Cassie turned to Nico, "Don't mind Libby; she's just moody."  
Libby stuck her tongue out at Cassie.  
Nico was beginning to realize what David said had been true; none of these people could hurt him if they wanted to. However, he was beginning to think a lot of them would try. He was already feeling uncomfortable, like he didn't belong here and he needed to leave. But he forced himself to sit and listen to the other teens.

"Hi Nico, my name is Patrick, son of Vulcan," the boy with the short blonde hair next to Libby spoke up. "I am 15 years old and I left Camp Jupiter because I can't kill things, and that's not really cool at a bloodthirsty Roman legion."  
"Patrick's our pacifist little freak. 'Oh, I know it's about to bite your head off, but can't you see how sweet and innocent it is?'" Libby mocked.  
Patrick ignored her, and the dirty blond girl at the end of the table spoke up. "My name is Bea and I am a daughter of Apollo. Oh, and I am 16 years old." She, like David, stopped there, and the red head took that as her cue to speak.  
"Hello Nico, I'm Fallon, daughter of Mars. I am 15 years old and I left Camp Jupiter because I am a failure. By now they probably think I am dead."

"Great!" Cassie said. "So Nico, this is everybody. Everybody, Nico. I'm going to go finish cooking. Bea, would you mind bandaging Nico's arm?" The girl nodded. "Good. Nico, you can follow Bea." She turned to David. "Anything else, great leader?"  
Libby cut in. "I'll help with food, Cassie, you can't cook for shit."

David nodded. "Sounds good. Call if you need anything, Bea."  
"Will do, captain," Bea responded.  
Libby spoke up, sarcastic once again. "Outcast demigod support group adjourned."


	2. Just One Night

**Hello again! Guess ****what! This story has gotten 10 follows in just the first chapter! Ahhh I'm so so so so happy! I never expected that many people to be interested. Thank you so much to everyone who favorited/ followed, and special thanks to the three people who reviewed! I would love it of more of you could review :) Tell me your favorite character, what you likes, what you didn't like, suggestions, etc.**

**More Special thanks to Stormfire76, who proofread this chapter. Have I mentioned you should read her stories? **

**This chapter is slightly shorter, and not as eventful, so I'll post another one soon. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Nico became aware of Bea's 'issue' soon after everyone else cleared out. David, Cassie, and Libby headed back to the kitchen while Patrick headed out one of the doors.

"Want help, Bea?" asked Fallon.

Bea nodded. "Take me to my bedroom; medical supplies are in there."

Fallon stood up and walked over to Bea, standing behind her chair. As Fallon pushed her away from the table, Nico realized with a start that Bea was sitting in a wheel chair.

"Close your mouth and stop staring," Bea snapped at him.

"Sorry," Nico mumbled. "Was it a monster attack? Is it temporary?"

"I don't ask you questions, you don't ask me questions," she responded.

Nico nodded; he understood not wanting people to pry.

Fallon pushed her down the hallway until they reached a room, and then opened the door. It looked like it was once a hotel room, with a double mattress set up on an old bed frame, and an empty dresser across from it. In the entrance were two doors, most likely a closet and bathroom. A small table, chair, and ottoman were pushed in one corner, and a desk set next the dresser, covered in various junk.

"Thanks, Fallon," Bea told her. "I'm good now." Fallon nodded and left, leaving Nico alone with the scowling healer. Bea rolled herself over to the bed. "Go to the desk," she ordered Nico, "And grab the red first aid kit. The red one, okay? And then bring it over here and come sit on the bed." Nico quickly did as she said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed and handing the red kit to her.

"Good." She opened it and spread its contents on the nightstand table. They both were silent as Bea tended his injury, quickly cleaning and bandaging the scratch. She was done in no time. "There. You'll be fine. We should head back to the dining room now; dinner is probably ready."

Nico nodded. "Would you like me to, uh..."

Bea shook her head, eyeing him distrustfully. "I'll wheel myself, thanks."

Nico followed her out the door and back to the dining room, where everyone had resumed his or her seats from earlier. Except that now paper plates and utensils had been placed at each setting and a heaping bowl of spaghetti sat in the center of the table, a plate stacked with hamburger buns next to it.

Cassie smiled when she saw Nico walk in. "Sorry we didn't have rolls, but this is close enough, right?"

"Looks great, Cass," said Bea, rolling into her spot from earlier. Nico sat next to Cassie again.

"Help yourself, Nico. I hope you like it." Cassie smiled at him.

"If you like it, " Libby put in, "then it's because of my genius cooking skills. If you hate it, Cassie totally ruined it."

The other six demigods helped themselves to the food, and once they had all started eating Nico took a serving for himself, and dug in. So far, coming here seemed like a good decision. He got a free home cooked meal and no one had tried to kill him yet. He could be out in the morning and alone again, without these people ever knowing who he was. The other demigods chatted throughout the meal, but Nico remained silent, eating as much food as he could. It almost felt like he was back on the_Argo II,_ except without having to face Percy, or Jason. He still felt like an outcast, the one who didn't belong, but at least there weren't the constant reminders of his pain that existed on the _Argo II_. Here there was no Percy and Annabeth to cuddle and profess their love in front him, no Jason to constantly give him a concerned look and try to talk to him about Croatia, no Leo to joke about him, or Hazel to worry about him. Being away from all of that was a relief; it meant he didn't have to face his feelings. And surrounded by six people who were also hiding away from their problems, he didn't feel so bad about running away.

* * *

Nico awoke to the sound of arguing. David had led him to a room after dinner, and he had fallen asleep almost the moment he lay down on a bed that wasn't aboard a moving ship. He didn't have nightmares for once, and it was really the best night's sleep he had experienced in a long time. For a second when he woke up he was confused, but he quickly recognized the voices and remembered the night before. It was a little refreshing to wake up to simple arguments instead of monster attacks. At least here he didn't have to make the decisions for everyone. He climbed out of bed, slipped back on his shoes and jacket from where they lay on the floor next to him. He grabbed his sword and left the room, closing the door behind him. Now he was ready to leave.

He entered the dining room to find David and Libby at each other's throats.

"I was just inviting you to come, since you never like the clothes I buy for you and they never seem to fit. We could save a whole lot of money if I didn't have to keep buying more clothes for you," David said calmly.

Libby seemed slightly less subdued. "I'm sorry if the stupid thing won't stop growing! It's not my fault it has ruined my body! You think I want to go out in public, so people cam stare at me and think I'm a slut?"

"You are a slut," Patrick teased her from the book he was reading.

"I thought you were the nice one," Libby spat at him.

Patrick shrugged. "Well, I'm not stabbing you."

"You want me to stab you?" Libby threatened.

"Hi Nico!" Cassie called, ducking around Libby to walk over to him. "Don't mind them. I promise Libby won't actually stab anyone."

Nico nodded.

"So do you want to come or not?" David asked.

Libby sighed. "Of course I want to come. I'll be ready to go in five," she snapped.

David shook his head, amused. "Hey Nico, breakfast?"

"No," Nico told him, he already owed enough to these people.

David shrugged. "Your loss."

"Well, uh," Nico stammered, "thanks for the food and stuff, but I'm leaving now. Bye." Nico spoke as quickly as possible; he needed to leave, to be alone again.

"Nico, " David said, "Me and Libby are heading to the mall, it's not far from here. Want to come with us and split there? I would at least feel better leaving you somewhere public, so you can figure out where you are."

"I don't get lost easily." Nico said, but the concerned look on David's face bugged him. There it was again, people being concerned for him, worrying about poor Nico Di Angelo, the little son of Hades with the dead sister who couldn't control his own emotions. But after all David had done for him, Nico felt he at least owed it to the boy to go to the mall with him. He could split there, and David wouldn't have to worry about him. "But okay."

"Great!" David said. "We'll leave as soon as Libby is ready."

Libby walked in only a few seconds later, a tote bag slung over her shoulder. "Nothing looks hot on me anymore," she complained. "I hate my life."

"Lovely," muttered David. "You look fine Libby, ready to go?"

Libby nodded.

"Nico?" asked David.

"Ready," Nico responded.

"Then let's head out."

* * *

As David said, the mall wasn't far off. They walked there in only ten or so minutes. Libby and David made conversation the whole way, but Nico stayed quiet as usual. The mall was an average town mall, small in size with a small selection of stores. Nico, Libby, and David stopped in the food court to split ways.

"Alright, Libby you go to the maternity store, and I'll walk across the street to Target to buy food." He handed Libby a wad of cash. "We'll meet back here in an hour."

Libby nodded, and David turned to Nico. "Nice to meet you,dude. Good luck with whatever it is you're up to."

And then the two others demigods walked off, leaving Nico alone in the food court. He knew he should feel relived, but for a split second he felt... alone. And not in the usually good way; he felt the urge to go run after Libby or David and stick with them. But the urge quickly passed, and instead he resolved to travel away from here. He didn't want these demigods to find him again.

However, before he could leave the mall, he felt a tickling in his bladder and with a sigh, headed towards the mall bathroom. Looking back, it was funny how much that one trip to the bathroom changed everything. If he had simply shadow traveled away at that moment, nothing would be the same.

He had relieved himself and was back in the mall food court in around five minutes. And this time, he was ready to go find somewhere secluded enough to shadow travel away from this place. But before he could get far, a high-pitched shriek pierced the air, followed by an equally loud "Shit, shit, _shit!"_

Unfortunately, Nico recognized the voice. Libby was in trouble.


	3. Fight or Flight

**I'm back! Thank you so so much to everyone who favorited/ followed, and extra special thanks to everyone who reviewed. Eeee it just makes me so so happy that people are reading this and enjoying it!**

**As usual, thanks to stormfire76 for being totally awesome and the only reason every other word isn't a typo.**

**Without further ado, chapter 3...**

* * *

Nico hesitated for a second. He was supposed to be leaving, not running back to help these people. He quickly shook away those thoughts, though. No _way _was he going to leave a pregnant girl to die just because he had issues. He drew his sword and ran off in the direction of the screaming.

It didn't take him long to find Libby. The whole store was pretty much in shambles. Racks and shelves were scattered across the floor, the counter was topped over, and a huge hole was present in the ceiling. Libby herself was crouched behind the fallen counter. She was holding a sword out in front of her, but her hands were trembling. And Nico could see why. Three Laistrygonians stood in the center of the room, towering over Libby. Nico realized she couldn't move; her right leg was pinned under the counter.

Nico took action. "Hey!" He called loudly, and the three Laistrygonians turned towards him.

"Son of Hades!" bellowed one with a menacing grin. "We've been looking for you."

Nico called upon his powers, and the ground around him darkened as dead warriors rose around him. The Laistrygonian who had talked earlier looked rather enraged by this, and charged Nico. But the son of Hades was ready for him. He slashed his sword and with one fatal cut, the monster dissolved into dust.

"Go Nico!" cheered Libby, struggling to free herself while the monsters were distracted.

The third Laistrygonian was distracted by Nico's dead warriors, so Nico charged the second. This one put up more of a fight, swinging a club at him, but Nico dodged and stabbed the monster, dissolving it as well. Nico turned towards the third monster, but Libby took care of it before Nico had a chance to. Libby had managed to free herself from under the counter, and with the Laistrygonian distracted by the dead soldiers, she took the opportunity to hurl her sword at it. The Celestial bronze embedded itself in the Laistrygonian's neck, and he exploded into golden dust. Libby breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto her knees.

"Are you okay?" Nico asked her... but even as he spoke, he felt his strength leaving him. He had drained too much of his power...

The last thing he heard before he collapsed was Libby frantically calling his name as she limped towards him.

* * *

"Well, good morning, squirt. Well, good 3-in-the-morning, that is." That was the first thing Nico heard as he came to.

"Huh?" was his first response, looking around him. He was in a hotel room, the same one he had slept in last night. "How did I get back here?"

"Well," said Libby, who was lounging in a chair next to his bed, "some monsters attacked me, and then you pulled some freaky ghost shit and then poof, the monsters died and you collapsed. David finally became not blind enough to notice the giant battle going on across the street, and then he carried your limp ass back here. So no new clothes for me. I told David maternity stores were evil."

"Oh," was all Nico said.

"Bea checked you out. Said you looked fine, so we let you sleep," Libby added.

"Thanks," Nico said. "Uh, are you okay?"

"Thanks to you, yes," Libby told him. There was a few minutes of silence before she spoke again. "So, son of Hades?"

Nico suddenly felt the need to bolt coming back to him. They _knew_. They _all knew _that he was a son of Hades, the creepy kid who could raise the dead. They _certainly _wouldn't want him around _now_.

"Relax, squirt. I didn't tell anyone. I told them I was too dazed to process much, but as far as I could tell you pulled some wicked ninja moves and saved my life. I didn't mention the whole Hades thing," Libby reassured him.

Nico breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, he wasn't happy about Libby knowing who his father was, but one person was better than everybody knowing.

"Don't know why you're so uptight about it anyway," Libby continued. "It's pretty damn awesome. If I had freaky ghost powers I would go around and pulverize all my enemies and become, like, queen of the world."

"You don't understand," mumbled Nico grumpily.

Libby stopped. "You're right. I'm sorry; I don't. I'm doing _exactly _what I hate. Everyone is always telling me, 'Oh, you're having a baby? You must be _so _excited! What are you going to name the little demon? When's the due date? Who's the father? I'm _so _happy for you.' And I hate it. I don't want the little monster, so _stop _trying to tell me how _great _it is, because it's_not_. The freaking thing has done nothing but _ruin _my life. It drove me out of my home, destroyed my beauty, and now I'll have to deal with it for the _rest of my life_. It's _shit_."

Libby calmed herself down with a deep breath while Nico watched silently. "I'm sorry," Libby said again. "I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm just... emotional. I haven't been sleeping well." She got up out of the chair.

"Thanks for saving my life," she said. Then she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

* * *

After Libby left, Nico fell straight back asleep. When he woke up the second time, his room was empty. He wasn't as disoriented this time, and he felt refreshed. The chattering down the hall told him that it was later in the morning now, so everyone was awake. _Later in the morning. _That meant he had been out for a whole _day_. The door to his room was open. Libby stood in the doorway. "He's awake!" Libby called over her shoulder. "Patrick, you owe me ten bucks."

Libby turned to Nico. "He thought you'd be out past noon. Come eat breakfast, squirt." And then she left.

Nico took his time to get out of bed and head down the hallway. For a moment, the thought crossed his mind that he would miss this place. But that was part of Nico's life. With every place he left, he seemed to miss having a home even more.

When Nico had walked down the hallway, he could hear that the demigods were talking about him. He could make out their voices on the other side of the door.

"He's a pretty kick-ass little kid," Libby was saying.

"I'll miss him," Cassie added. "He seemed nice. Quiet, though. I feel bad for him. He seems so lost and lonely; I wonder what his deal is. Why isn't he at camp?"

"None of our business," Bea said.

"I know," Cassie sighed. "I just wish we could help him."

Nico decided to enter the room at this point.

"You're up!" Cassie exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Nico answered.

"That's great!" Cassie said. "Want some food?" A box of strawberry pop tarts sat out on the table, and a few of the demigods were munching on them.

Nico shook his head.

"What kind of kid doesn't want strawberry pop tarts?" Libby questioned, mouth full of food. "For goodness's sakes, you're puny as hell, squirt, and you just passed out for a day. Eat some food, or I will shove it down your throat."

"Be gracious, Nico; that's Libby's way of being caring," Patrick teased. Libby chucked a pop tart wrapper at him.

Nico glanced around, noticing that all of them looked concerned for his health. _Just like back on the Argo II. _"Okay." David tossed him a package, which he ripped open.

Satisfied that Nico was eating, they turned to a more serious topic. "Where are all the monster attacks coming from anyways?" asked Cassie.

David shrugged. "This is the second in two days. Usually we aren't bothered by many monsters, just a small attack here and there. This is unusual."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence, " suggested Cassie.

"Maybe its Nico," said Bea. "He showed up with the first monster attack, didn't he?"

Cassie shook her head. "Don't blame Nico. We have no reason to do that."

"Agreed," said David. "Nico saved Libby yesterday. We owe him."

Nico began to tune them out as a thought occurred to him. What if he _was _bringing the monsters? He was a son of Hades, clearly the most powerful demigod in the room. He probably attracted more monster attention then anyone else. Plus, he was a personal enemy of Gaea. That just meant he had to leave quicker, as soon as possible. He was nothing but bad luck.

"I should leave now." Nico interrupted, causing everyone to turn towards him.

"Nico! You were just passed out for a day! Do you really think you're ready to travel alone?" Cassie worried.

Nico nodded, but he silently had to admit that Cassie had a point. He had just been passed out for a day, and he probably still wasn't fully recovered from all the shadow traveling. He honestly felt completely drained power wise. Could he shadow travel away without passing out, leaving himself a sitting duck? If he managed to get captured again, that would only make more trouble for his friends on the _Argo II_. He could get away by foot, but that would take forever, and he was close enough that David and the others would still be in danger. He didn't like it, but his best bet seemed to stay and rest and eat, so that he could get his power back quicker and leave for good. _One more day._ One more day couldn't hurt. Coming to that decision, he spoke up.

"I can rest for one more day. If that's okay with you."

David nodded. "You're welcome here as long as you want dude."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always greatly appreciated!**


	4. Nightmare

**It has been way too long since I updated. I am very sorry. Look this one is longer-ish. And I'll post the next one sooner, as I already have it written and proofread. **

**As usual, Stormfire76 is perfect. **

**So enjoy. And review :) **

* * *

One of the many benefits of staying an extra day was the long, hot shower he got to enjoy after breakfast. As he slipped back into his clothes, the last thing he expected was for Jason Grace's head to appear among the steam. Nico jumped, startled and somewhat unnerved by the sudden appearance. Jason, however, looked relieved.

"Nico! You're okay! Everyone is worried. Where are you? We called to check in with Hedge, and he said they got back safely, but you disappeared."

"I'm fine," Nico snapped.

"We've been trying to Iris-message you for the past day, but we haven't been able to reach you."

"I was asleep," said Nico. He didn't need Jason here, a reminder of everything he was running away from. He _especially _didn't need it to be _Jason_, who had been with him in Croatia. At least it wasn't Percy. That would have been a thousand times worse. "Are all of you guys okay? Is Hazel okay?" Just because he had left didn't mean Nico cared any less about his friends, especially his sister.

"They're fine, Nico. Hazel is really worried about you. I should call her down here to talk to you," Jason said. His voice quieted to a whisper for a second. "Is this because of Croatia? You said that after you took us to the Doors of Death…"

"That I was leaving," Nico interrupted. "For good. And I meant it." With that, he swiped his hand through the Iris-message, dissolving Jason's face.

He stormed out, slamming the bathroom door behind him. He turned to see Cassie standing in his doorway.

"Sorry," she blushed. "There was yelling; I came to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," Nico snapped. He couldn't count the number of times he had said those two words in the last few days, and each time they felt less and less true. "Please go away. I'm taking a nap."

"Okay," Cassie mumbled, closing the door behind her.

Nico sighed. He knew he wasn't being very gracious now, but he was too shaken up form seeing Jason to care. The nap had been an easy excuse to get rid of Cassie, but the more he thought about it, the better it sounded. It was pathetic; he had slept all day yesterday, but his lack of sleep since Tartarus seemed to finally be catching up to him. He gave up - the more he rested, the sooner he could leave anyway - and crawled into bed. He regretted it as soon as the nightmares returned.

* * *

_Nico was in Tartarus again. He could feel the familiar darkness that lurked in the air, and involuntarily shivered. "It's a just a dream," he tried to whisper to himself, but with demigods, it never was._

_"Son of Hades!" A voice spoke, echoing all around him. The scene was shifting; he was still within Tartarus, but now trapped in a large earthen cavern. Cold laughter radiated from all the walls around him._

_"Gaea," Nico snarled. He reached to draw his sword, but it wasn't there._

_"Poor Nico Di Angelo," Gaea cackled. "All alone, running away from his only friends."_

_"I have friends with me!" Nico shouted. He wouldn't call David and the others his friends, but he needed something to throw at Gaea. They weren't much of an army, but the thought of any backup comforted him. _

_"This is your army?" the voice hissed. "These pathetic fools?" Images flashed before Nico's eyes: A blond girl curled up against some building in the dark, beginning to sob as she stared at the pregnancy test in her hand; a redhead curled in a ball next to the limp body of a girl that lay beside her; a tall dark-haired boy, staring blankly at a bloodied knife in his hand, tears beginning to drip down his cheeks…_

_"Stop!" Nico yelled. These weren't his memories; he wasn't meant to see them. But the images continued to assault him: A girl who had rolled out of bed in the night, trying to pull herself back up with her arms and screaming in frustration when she couldn't; an older boy towering over a blond kid, laughing at the younger boy and hitting him when he refused to respond; a brunette, running down a street screaming, asking what was happening, where she was…_

"Stop!"

_Nico yelled more forcefully, but the images only came faster: the girl who had fallen, sitting in front of an archery range, firing arrow after arrow as fast as she could, face dripping with sweat and clearly fatigued, but continuing to work herself; the blond, staring at her reflection in the mirror, observing the dark circles under her eyes and her stomach bulging out from under her shirt, and then, with a panicked scream, yanking every eyeliner and lipstick and blush from her make-up container and smashing them onto the floor, watching the pieces scatter across the bathroom tile; the redhead, eyes wide and feet frozen in place as screams echoed not far off…_

_"STOP!" _

_The whole ground shook with the force of Nico's demand. Mercifully, the images stopped coming._

_"Are these the best friends you could find, son of Hades?" Gaea mocked. "A cripple, a coward, an amnesiac, a freak, a whore, a murderer? Does everyone hate you but the people who hate themselves?"_

_"Don't talk about them like that!" Nico yelled. "They're good people!"_

_"Good people?" sneered Gaea. "Do you even know them? What have they told you about themselves?"_

_Nico was silent. Gaea was right; he didn't know much about the group of demigods. But he hadn't told _them _anything either, and he felt that all of them would defend _him_._

_"Nothing good to say for your 'friends'?" asked Gaea. "I can promise you, son of Hades, that when I have woken once again, I will make sure every one of them suffers a painful death. Or maybe I should leave them alive, so that they can continue to suffer from their pathetic lives." With that, more gruesome scenes began to bombard Nico: David, helpless to watch his friends, the kids he had led and protected, die, their blood splattered in front of him; Cassie, alone and confused, with not enough memory to even know who she should call out for in her final moments; Bea, dragging herself across the ground by her arms, trying to escape something she couldn't run from; Libby, drenched in her own sweat and blood, staring in horror at the newborn corpse she cradled in her arms..._

_He knew these images weren't real, that they hadn't actually happened, but they all felt as vivid as the first images he had seen._

_"How does it feel, son of Hades? How will you feel when I kill them and all your friends headed to Athens?"_

I need to leave them,_ Nico thought to himself._Now. As soon as I wake up. This was a mistake.

_"Running away again?" Gaea mocked. "You can't hide forever. Wherever you are, I _will _find you, and then I will find _all _of them. You are powerless, Nico di Angelo. Powerless."_

* * *

Nico awoke drenched in sweat, panting. A wall clock told him that he had only asleep for around an hour, but he felt much worse then when he went to bed. He sat up slowly, his head pounding. He was sure he must have been screaming in his sleep, but none of the others seemed to have appeared at his door this time. He was at least thankful for that.

He reluctantly pulled himself out of bed, weighing his options. He could slip away now, even return to the Underworld. But would he leave the demigods here, possibly in danger? If strong enough monsters attacked, they wouldn't stand a chance alone. Half of them couldn't even _fight_. He could go back to the_Argo II_ and help his friends defeat Gaea. But that wasn't his quest; he was never meant to be one of the Seven. And that would also mean being with Percy. He could go back to Camp Half-Blood. He had been at both camps before; maybe he could get them to cooperate. However, he seriously doubted that. Nico wasn't much of a diplomat. There was pretty much only one other option: He could stay here. It was bound to draw more of Gaea's monsters, but at least he'd be able to protect the others when the monsters came. And he wouldn't have to be around Percy. But he wasn't much use in stopping Gaea here, and if Gaea was able to rise again, it wouldn't matter how many options he had pondered because they would all be dead.

None of his options sounded particularly hopeful. What Nico needed was a plan, and unfortunately, Nico had never been the idea guy. _What would Percy do?_ Nico thought._Percy would think of some genius plan, epically kick monster butt, and then save all his friends. Okay, so that idea is out._

"Why can't I be like Percy?" Nico mumbled to himself. He glared at his reflection in the mirror. Gaea was right. He _was _pathetic and powerless. A pale scrawny little kid who didn't fit in. A filthy outcast.

A thought finally struck him. What _else _would Percy do? Percy would tell his team, and then he would work together with them. Nico wasn't the best at talking to people, and he _certainly_wasn't a leader like Percy. But he could at least tell the others what was going on. They didn't need to know who his father was, or what his feelings were, but he could tell them about Gaea and his dream. Nico took a deep breath. It wasn't a perfect option, but for now it seemed like the right step to take. He turned away from the mirror and headed for the dining room.

As soon as he saw the demigods, he could tell he had been screaming as loud as he thought. They all had either curiosity or concern written across their faces.

"Hi," Nico mumbled feebly.

Cassie managed to force a smile into her face. "Hey, Nico! Sleep okay?"

Nico shook his head. "Not really. Can I talk to all of you guys?"

David nodded. "Of course, dude." He raised his voice, "Meeting!"

Fallon, Patrick and Libby, who had not previously been in the room, soon entered and took seats around the table.

David looked towards Nico. "Take it away, dude."

Nico took a deep breath. "Right, so do you guys know about Gaea?"

David nodded, and Bea spoke up. "The Earth goddess. Created the world with Uranus, the sky."

"Right," Nico continued. "Do you know what's going on now? The Prophecy of Seven?"

Libby nodded this time. "I haven't been gone that long, squirt. I know the prophecy."

"And obviously you know about the Roman demigod camp."

"Actually," cut in Libby, "I'm not sure Fallon and Patrick have heard of the Roman camp."

"Very funny," said Fallon.

"So what's your point, squirt?" asked Libby.

"Gaia, her and the giants, are rising again. Soon she's going to make a sacrifice of two demigods, fully awaken, and destroy everything. My friends, Percy Jackson and the rest of the seven demigods from the prophecy, are going there to try and stop her. I was with them before I came here," Nico explained.

"So you're some big shot who goes on world saving quests, huh?" Libby said. "Who would've known?"

Nico ignored her. "My point is, that makes me a somewhat personal enemy of Gaea, which is dangerous. I had a dream-"

"That my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color," Libby interrupted dramatically.

_"Libby."_ David cut her off. "Nico is talking."

"How do you even _know _that?" asked Patrick.

"You guys didn't have to memorize that shit in fifth grade? Aren't you the lucky ones? No offense to the speech of course, I just don't care to know it word for word."

"You know the whole speech?" Bea questioned.

"Oh, gods no. Just the 'I have a dream' parts. Mrs. Smith was the worst fifth grade teacher ever. She was probably a Fury in disguise or something. I made a song to the speech though; I still remember a chunk of it if you want to hear," Libby said.

Cassie shook her head. "Let's get back to Nico's dream. We're being rude."

"And Libby can't sing," Patrick added.

Libby feigned hurt. "I was only sharing my wonderful historical knowledge with you, St. Patty, no need to be a downer."

"I'm sorry, Nico," Cassie apologized. "Some of us aren't very good with manners."

Patrick raised his voice in an imitation of Libby's. "When you're super hot, you don't_need _manners, because everyone will be too mesmerized by your fake boobs."

There were scattered giggles across the table, but Libby scowled. "That's not funny, Patrick."

"I'm sorry. I didn't meant to question the authenticity of..."

"No!" Libby yelled angrily, standing up without warning. "It's not funny because that's what _all_the girls at the Aphrodite cabin would say, but I'm not one of them anymore. I'm a fat slut who can't fit into any of her attractive clothes anymore. I look like a freaking _hippopotamus_. I'm not 'super hot'!" She abruptly burst into tears. _"I hate all of you!"_ she screamed, before storming off, noisily slamming the door behind her.

The room was silent for a moment. Finally, Cassie spoke. "She'll be okay. She's just stressed. Her baby is going to be born soon, and it's scary." She turned to Patrick. "Let up on her please. I know she can be mean, but this is a hard time for her."

Patrick nodded solemnly.

"Nico, did you want to finish what you were saying?" asked David.

"Right," Nico said awkwardly. "I, uh, had this dream." No one interrupted him this time. They all seemed as focused on him as before Libby's outburst. "And I was back in Tartarus."

"Back?" questioned Fallon, shocked.

"Crap," Nico muttered under his breath. "I've, uh, had dreams of going there before," he covered lamely, "At least, I think that's what it is." When no one said anything, he kept talking. "Anyway, Gaea talked to me." He hesitated for a second, thinking of the images he had seen. There was no way he was going to tell them he had seen some of their most desperate moments in his dream. He was sure they wouldn't want the awful memories dredged up, and it would be uncomfortable if he knew things about them they didn't want him to. "She said the usual, that she was going to take over and kill everyone. And she said that she knew where I was, and even if I left, she was going to make sure to kill all of you," Nico finished awkwardly, looking down at his hands so he couldn't see everyone's reactions. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to drag all of you into this, but... Well, I'm not exactly good luck."

There was a minute of stunned silence. Cassie spoke up, sounding as cheery as ever. "Well, thanks for sharing that, Nico. It's okay. I'm sure we'll all be fine." She put a hand gently on Nico's shoulder.

"We can patrol," David said. "One of us can scout the area every so often to make sure nothing gets to our base." He looked around the table. "Cassie and I can switch off shifts."

"That's a lot of work for two of you," Bea observed.

Nico had to agree with her, but looking around the room, he realized that no one else was exactly ready to fight monsters. Bea had her disability, and Patrick would refuse. He wasn't sure about Fallon. "I can help too," Nico said. "Splitting into three shifts will be less work than only two."

David nodded, some what relieved. "Thanks, dude."

Fallon suddenly looked uncomfortable. She stood up abruptly. "I'm going to go check on Libby. She'll want to be filled in." She left the room before anyone could respond.

"So me, David, and Nico," Cassie said. "I can come up with a chart so that someone will take a patrol often enough to keep us safe, and we can all still have time to rest and eat."

"Sounds great Cassie," David said.

"Everything will be okay," Cassie said again.

"It will," David agreed. "We'll all be fine."

"I knew he was trouble," Bea mumbled.

Everyone pretended not to hear her.

"I can go take a loop around the street right now," David said. "Make sure everything looks okay."

"That might be a good idea," Cassie said.

At that moment, Fallon walked back into the room. "Libby locked herself in her room; she won't open the door," she announced. Then she turned towards Nico. "She said she wants to talk to you."


	5. Pizza and Memories

**Hello! I said I would post the next chapter soon didn't I? Well this is the reward you get for waiting three weeks for the last one. And also I got three reviews so this is reward for that too :D Thank you very much to the three people who reviewed- and also everyone who favorited/ followed!**

**Stormfire76 is perfect.**

**Enjoy!**

**Oh, and I never do a disclaimer, so if anyone has been harboring some illusion that I own Percy Jackson- I don't. **

* * *

Nico tentatively stood outside Libby's door. Fallon had told him where Libby's room was, but Nico still wasn't sure why she wanted to talk to him, of all people. He knocked, and was met with a shout of "It's open!"

Nico walked in to find Libby sitting on her bed, looking at a framed photograph in her hands. When Nico walked in, she quickly placed the photograph facedown on the bed. "Hi, Nico."

"What happened to the door being locked?" he asked.

Libby shrugged. "I unlocked it. I asked to talk to you; they wouldn't send anyone else."

"So why do you want to talk to me?" Nico asked.

"I was listening," Libby said. "When I stormed out, I eavesdropped through the door."

"Oh," was all Nico said.

"You didn't tell them everything," Libby said. "When you said you went back to Tartarus, you meant you had actually physically been there, didn't you? And no way you told them everything about your dream. You were thrashing and screaming 'stop' in your sleep. It must've been some pretty harsh shit."

"So?"

"So I want you to tell me," Libby said. "Tell me what you saw in that dream that has you so upset."

Nico shook his head. "It doesn't have anything to do with you."

"Bullshit," said Libby. "You saw something that you aren't telling me. And I'm pretty sure the fact that you pissed off some goddess who is coming to kill us affects us all."

"You haven't told me anything about yourselves," Nico said defensively. "You're being secretive right now. You hid the picture you were looking at."

Libby picked up the picture frame from the bed and shoved it into Nico's hands. "You wanna see the picture? Look at the freaking picture."

Nico did. The picture was surrounded by a simple thin black frame. The photograph itself featured two people, a boy and a girl, most likely a couple. The girl, who Nico recognized as Libby, looked gorgeous. Her blond hair was elegantly clipped back to show off her face and curled. Her make-up was done to perfection, smoky eye shadow framing her blue eyes, a slight pink blush across her cheeks and very red lips. She wore a formal dress, red with a bedazzled strap over one shoulder. The boy standing next to her was handsome as well. Tall and muscular, with short brown hair and a winning smile. He was dressed up in a tux, with a bowtie the same red as Libby's dress. Both of the teens were smiling, and from the background it looked like they were attending some party or social event.

"His name was Mark," Libby said out of the blue. "He wasn't a demigod. I didn't go to camp year-round; I stayed with my family during the year and went to school. He was a senior, a football player. Very popular. He was my date to the winter dance, and we slept together afterwards. We broke up over winter break. I didn't realize I was pregnant until two months later. I hadn't had my period in two months, so I started to freak out. I snuck out one night, bought a pregnancy test from some drugstore and then took it in the drugstore bathroom. If you hadn't noticed, it came back positive. I told my parents that I was going back to camp, and then I ran away. I didn't want anyone to find out." She stared at her hands. "I have a father and a stepmother. She's a bitch, but she's still my stepmother. I have a little sister too. She's only seven."

Nico didn't say anything through Libby's whole speech. Libby took the picture frame from him and set it on the nightstand. "Want to tell me about your dream now?" she asked.

"Like I said," Nico told her, "I was in Tartarus, and I saw Gaea."

"And?" Libby prompted.

"I - uh - saw things."

"Very specific," Libby said sarcastically.

"She was mocking me," Nico said. "She was mocking you guys. Telling me how pathetic my allies were. And I saw memories of you guys."

"Not good ones, I assume?" Libby cut in.

Nico shook his head. "No. Desperate, angry, upset, confused..."

Libby nodded. "Sounds accurate."

"Do you want to know specifically? What she showed me about you?" Nico asked tentatively, but to his relief Libby shook her head.

"I think I'll pass, squirt. Probably bad enough the first time."

Nico understood. He would avoid his memories of Tartarus at all costs.

"I'm beginning to really hate this Gaea chick," Libby said.

"Unfortunately, she's powerful," Nico said. He turned to Libby. "She also called you a whore."

"That bitch!" Libby exclaimed. "She's totally going down now."

Nico almost smiled. "So you're just going to take down an all-powerful earth goddess?"

"Psh," Libby snorted. "All-powerful earth goddess or not, she totally just insulted my virtue. Now we have to fight it out, girl to girl. I'll start spreading rumors behind her back. Turn all her friends against her. Steal her boyfriend."

"Good luck with that."

Libby was grinning. "Come on, squirt. Let's go see what the rest of our loser society is up to."

* * *

The rest of the day was thankfully uneventful. David didn't spot any monster activity, Cassie planned out a schedule for regular patrolling, and Libby heated frozen pizzas up for dinner. They all gathered around the table for dinner, hungrily digging into the pizza. For once, no conversation was made. Ever since Nico's announcement, no one had really been in the mood for talking.

As usual, it was Cassie who spoke up. "You guys are being too quiet. Let's play a game."

"Like what?" Fallon asked.

"Favorite word in the English language. Go," Cassie said.

"All y'all's favorite word better be 'Libby'. Or else you are lying," Libby said, mouth full of food.

"Safe," said David. "My favorite word is safe because I want to protect all of you."

"How charming," muttered Libby.

"Pizza," Fallon said. "Because this is delicious." Her statement was met with laughs and murmurs of agreement.

"Shit," Libby said.

"What?" asked Cassie worriedly.

"No, my favorite word is shit because it has accurately described every situation in my life for the past year."

"Very true," Bea agreed.

"Friendship," said Cassie.

"Because you're all sweet and sentimental," Libby filled in for her.

Cassie laughed.

"Would it be too cliche to say 'peace'?" Patrick asked.

"Yes," Libby said. "But we totally expect you to say it anyway."

"This is so cheesy," Bea said. "I pass."

"Nico?" Cassie asked.

Nico shook his head. "I pass too."

"Okay," Libby said. "Now least favorite word in the English language."

"Murder," David said.

"Good to know David isn't a homocidal maniac," Libby responded.

"I agree with David," Fallon said. "Death."

"Ditto," agreed Patrick.

"You guys are so unoriginal," Libby criticized.

"But they have a point," Cassie said. "I have to agree."

"What about you, Libby?" Patrick asked.

"I have a list," Libby said. "Anything to do with babies. Or pregnancy. Or sex."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Libby Arnold, who loves poop and hates children," Patrick teased. Libby stuck her tongue out at him.

Cassie turned to Bea. "You have an answer for this one?"

"Disabled," Bea replied without hesitation.

"Nico?" asked Cassie. "You have to have one."

Nico thought for a moment. There were a lot of things he could say. Percy Jackson. Cupid. Love. Croatia. But he settled on a different word. "Outcast."

"I'll toast to that," Bea said.

"Agreed," Fallon put in.

Libby raised her water bottle, and the others followed suit. "To being an outcast," she announced. "It sucks, but we're alive and we have pizza, which is what matters most."

* * *

Fortunately, Nico slept well and without any nightmares. Unfortunately, he was woken up early in the morning by a loud argument.

"Libby, you're pregnant," David was saying when Nico walked into the kitchen. Everyone else was already up, though most of them were in various stages of half-asleep. Nico slipped in next to Cassie, who, like everyone else, had backed a safe distance away from Libby and David.

"I'm pregnant, not completely incapable of doing anything," Libby snapped.

"You're about to have a baby," David said gently. "You can't risk getting hurt."

"And you and Cassie and Nico can?" Libby retorted. "What makes me so special? I'm not fragile, David, I can fight."

Cassie leaned over and whispered to Nico. "She wants to take a patrol shift. David isn't letting her."

"You sure showed that at the mall the other day," David responded.

"I killed one of them," Libby argued. "Didn't I, Nico?"

Nico nodded reluctantly.

"That doesn't mean anything." David replied.

"It's a hell of a lot more than you did at the mall!" Libby yelled. "Where were you while Nico and I were in danger?"

"I'm not saying you can't fight, Libby..." David tried to console her.

She shook him off. "Then why won't you let me go on a freaking patrol?"

"It's dangerous. There could be monsters. That's the whole point of this," David said simply.

"And you and Cassie haven't run into trouble yet, have you?" Libby snapped. "Last night, yesterday, it was all clear."

"There could be something today," David said.

"Well, it's a good thing you have me to go check then," Libby replied, and with that she stormed out of the back door, weapon tucked into her jeans.

"Should we follow her?" Cassie asked worriedly.

David shook his head. "She thinks she can do it, and we should respect that. She'll be really pissed off if we follow. I don't want to drive her away."

Cassie still looked anxious. "What if she gets hurt?"

David put a hand on Cassie's shoulder. "She'll be fine, Cass. She can take care of herself."

Cassie nodded. "You're right. She'll be fine."

"So, are you guys done arguing?" Bea asked. "Because it is insufferably early and I am going back to bed."

* * *

They all followed Bea's suggestion, and Nico slept as well as he had the rest of the night. This time however, he was woken up by someone gently shaking him. He blinked his eyes open. "Cassie?" he muttered.

"Nico." Cassie's expression was full of worry. "Sorry to wake you, but it's been 3 hours. And Libby isn't back yet."

* * *

***Evil laughter* **

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